I know this is a semi-regular discussion, but thought it was interesting that multiple coaches made direct reference to it:
James Franklin is not so subtly stating that the Big Ten East continues to be way too brutal and the Big Ten West continues to not be that way.
About as far as any coach has gone with that, as far as I can recall.
https://twitter.com/nickbaumgardner/status/1152211289487368194
“Change is inevitable,” Fleck told The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/1084510/2019/07/19/big-ten-football-division-realignment-east-west/). “I think we all know that. I think that the East and West have been around for a while. I like it, I like the division of it. But I don’t think it will stay the same. I think we’ll change it at some point because change is coming somehow, some way. And I think people are going to want to move it around, and shake it up a little bit.”
Fleck said the topic came up during the Big Ten’s spring meetings in Arizona; the conference did not comment on the topic.
https://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/07/20/big-ten-could-realign-divisions-yet-again-according-to-pj-fleck/?sf216043871=1 (https://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/07/20/big-ten-could-realign-divisions-yet-again-according-to-pj-fleck/?sf216043871=1)
While the divisions have actually been fairly competitive in terms of West vs. East record, the B1G West is 0-5 in CCG appearances. While that's lopsided, three of the five games were one score affairs, so the games themselves aren't as bad as the record indicates.
That said, it appears that the coaches are beginning to discuss the "competitive balance" aspect and weighing that more heavily after comments from B1G media days. So if Fleck is going so far as to say "change is inevitable" after the spring meetings, what do you think that looks like?
From my perspective, there are the following groups of schools that should be inseparable in terms of divisional alignment:
Iowa+Wisconsin+Minnesota+Nebraska
Michigan State + Michigan
Michigan + Ohio State
Indiana + Purdue
Northwestern + Illinois
PSU + Maryland + Rutgers
If you throw geography out and just want to promote better competitive balance, while maintaining rivalries (which is what the geographic split was all about), you would logically arrive at something like this:
Great Lakes Division
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Purdue
Indiana
Northwestern
Illinois
Boundary Division
Penn State
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Maryland
Rutgers
In my view, the above configuration would allow you to eliminate any protected rivalry games and allow you to schedule on a regular rotation with the other division.
If there has already been a thread or discussion about this since B1G media days, please merge, I apologize for my Noobness.
I don't think you can split it any other way to protect important rivalries in division and promote some degree of competitive balance.
the only other real solution to the "competitive balance" issue is expansion to 16 or 20.